Residents are once again invited to bring all of those sensitive financial or personal documents they no longer need to the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17 to have them shredded for free.

The annual Shred Day event is being sponsored by the chamber and Newton Federal Bank.

There is no limit on the amount of paper that can brought to the chamber, though large quantities will be taken to the warehouse of A Cut Above for shredding.

According to the FBI, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and affects between 500,000 to 700,000 Americans each year.

"People will go to extreme lengths to obtain vital personal information, including ‘dumpster diving,'" according to a Shred Day flier.

"These numbers and the lengths people will go to obtain your information are quite alarming. There is a solution - secure document destruction.

"Fifty-six percent of identity theft victims that could trace the source of the theft ultimately learned that thieves took something that was in their own possession. So the first rule of identity protection is: If you don't need it, destroy it - responsibly."

The nonprofit Newton Mentoring, which is also housed in the chamber's building, 2101 Clark Street, Covington, will be accepting donations. Newton Mentoring seeks to partner at risk youth with professional, adult mentors to provide a stable influence in the student's life.